(Right: Buddha
in Africa)
A ‘reely’ interesting selection of films
will be on offer at the 27th Hilton Arts Festival taking place at Hilton
College from September 13 to 15, 2019.
As part of the 237 scheduled events this
year, a feast of film has been programmed with the organisers welcoming for the
first time to the festival, the Durban International Film Festival, the
Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, Enviro Champions, and films by
independent film makers.
The Durban International Film Festival
(DIFF) will feature six films to be screened over the weekend in the Lecture
Theatre B. There are five South African features and documentaries: Buddha in Africa (Nicole Schafer’s
delicately observed documentary about a Chinese Buddhist orphanage in Malawi)
which won the Best SA Documentary at DIFF and this qualifies for a
consideration for a nomination for an Oscar; Dying for Gold (a devastating documentary about how the mining
industry was a key force in shaping apartheid South Africa); Letters of Hope (set in 1976 South
Africa about a 16 year-old boy who wants to be a policeman against the wishes
of his father); the Afrikaans film (with English subtitles) Spokie Gaan Huise Toe/ Little Ghost Goes
Home (a highly experimental feature which takes a self-exploratory journey
into the past guided by the spirits of nostalgia) and Uncovered (a gripping thriller set against the compromised
political reality of post-apartheid South Africa).
The sixth film includes an authentic
Namibian tale entitled The White Line
– a love story reminding us that the apartheid laws extended beyond South
Africa’s borders.
A number of independent film makers will be
presenting films at the festival:
(Left: Sides
of a Horn)
Sides
of a Horn (Sir Richard Branson’s story of Africa’s
poaching war told from both sides of the fence) and Siyabonga (a docufiction story of a tenacious aspirant actor
wanting to be in a locally made film). There will a screening of Buddha in Africa (in addition to the
DIFF screening).
For the adventure and thrill seekers: the
adrenaline pumping, edge-of-your-seat shorts that make up the Vancouver
International Mountain Film Festival celebrate the finest mountain-related
filmmaking from across the globe. VIMFF has an exhilarating programme which is
centred on mountain adventure including rock climbing, trail running, alpinism,
mountain biking, white water paddling and extreme skiing; and an enviro-culture
programme focusing on environmental issues with themes addressing river
conservation and the anti-dams movement in the Balkans; Patagonia; Global
Warming and Mountain Usage.
(Right: Siyabonga)
Another newcomer to the fest is Enviro
Champions. Situated in the basement of the Grindrod Theatre, the Enviro
Champions offer a selection of free movies and talks relating to the global
issue of pollution and its effects on our world. The eco programme includes Eating up Easter (the remote islands in
the Pacific and how they are dealing with the giant snowball of globalisation
and the massive influx of tourism where they are debating what this means to
their small community), and Our Oceans
(a journey of discovery along one of the longest, and richest, coastlines in
the world, highlighting the impending threats, and all the while promoting the
protection of our oceans). Dr Andrew Venter (Executive Producer) and Lauren van
Nijkerk (Producer) will be at the Saturday screening for Q&A/ discussion
after. Dr Venter will attend the Sunday screening for Q&A. Also part of the
Enviro Champions programme, is Otelo
Burning, the surf film set in Durban based on a true story.
In amongst the doccies and features are a
handful of shorts. Included here is The
Litterboom Project, a two-minute video that focuses on stopping plastic
pollution from ending in the ocean. Another two-minute clip entitled The Parley Corona, and Street Surfer, an eight-minute video
following Frank Solomon, a big wave surfer from Cape Town who travels inland to
meet Thabo and Mokete, two exceptional men who indirectly serve the environment
through recycling as a means of income.
There will also be an eco-themed stall at
the market and make sure to look out for the goby fish made of wire to collect
plastic bottles.
Some film-screenings are free of charge,
and others are ticketed – see the full programme for details. Booking is now
open, and the programme is live on the festival website. For more information
visit www.hiltonfestival.co.za or contact the Festival Office on
admin@hiltonfestival.co.za or 033 383 0127.
The Festival is presented by Hilton College
and tiso blackstar in association with Grindrod, Black Coffee, Extreme Events,
DWR, Absa, Bidvest Car Rental, FNB, KZN Dept of Art & Culture, BASA,
Southern Sun PMB, Stella Artois, Redlands Hotel, Maritzburg Sun, Caxton, SA
Artist, Loud Crowd Media, Sappi.
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